Robert Walter of Cardinal Health to visit Nov. 15

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Robert Walter, founder and chairman of Cardinal Health, says that his entrepreneurial journey has taken him “from the dining room to the operating room.” He will speak at 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Hall Auditorium as part of the Farmer School of Business Executive Speaker Series.

The program is free and open to the public.

Walter founded Cardinal Health in 1971 as Cardinal Foods, working at his parents’ dining room table until the fledgling operation grew enough to merit an office. The company added wholesale medicine distribution to its food distribution, to become Cardinal Distribution Inc. in 1980. The company name changed to Cardinal Health in 1994.

Cardinal Health is now an $81 billion manufacturer and distributor of health care products and services that is currently ranked 19 on the Fortune 500 list. The company manufactures, packages and distributes pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, offers a range of clinical services and develops automation products to improve the management and delivery of supplies and medication for hospitals, physician offices and pharmacies.

The company is headquartered in Walter’s hometown of Dublin, Ohio. It employs more than 55,000 people on six continents.

The Executive Speaker Series brings to campus influential corporate decision makers to share their perspectives on organizational leadership with students and faculty members. In the past year, the series has sponsored lectures by such top executives as Anne Mulcahy, chairman and CEO of Xerox; and Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman and CEO of General Electric.